Jakarta. Fintech aggregator Cermati is eyeing bonds and digital gold as these investment instruments are gaining popularity among Indonesians, according to its executive during a visit to B Universe Media Holdings on Friday.

“Bonds are doing great today because the Indonesian Central Bank’s rate has been on the rise in the past few months. The rate will likely remain that way for quite some time judging by the macroeconomic conditions, so that is one product that we wish to explore," Darwin Soesanto, the strategy & operation VP at Cermati, said when asked about the company’s future plans for 2023.

According to Darwin, bonds are a low-risk investment with a good return, and this has driven up its popularity among Indonesians.

"Equity investment products are currently not as high in demand because they are of higher risk, and the returns are not as competitive as they used to be," he said.

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Aside from bonds, Cermati is seeking to tap into "digital gold" because it is more competitive in price compared to physical gold. Cermati enables its users to shop for financial products —ranging from banking, and insurance to investment— all in one place. Mutual funds became the latest addition to Cermati’s platform. The fintech aggregator also revealed that its users were keen on investing in mutual funds.

“Because we are embracing a self-service [approach], namely by giving users direct access to the products. We don’t find [the self-service approach] often here. Maybe there are a few players out there, but the incumbent ones are not ready,” Darwin said.

Darwin said that Cermati aimed to make the products on its platform accessible to the multitude. 

“We have an overarching goal of boosting Indonesia’s financial inclusion. We wish to give people access to both long and short-term investment products. From a content standpoint, we want to educate people on how to invest the right way, and not fall for bogus investment,” he said.

Founded in 2015, Cermati reported that it had amassed more than 9 million monthly unique users.

"We have yet to disclose our target for this year, but as we look at the market conditions, of course, we always aim high. We are hoping for double-digit growth," Darwin said.